


Dance with the Devil

by xantissa



Series: Carnival of Rust [2]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Fix-It, Gen, M/M, Post-Movie, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-08
Updated: 2013-06-08
Packaged: 2017-12-14 07:41:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/834390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xantissa/pseuds/xantissa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim tries to make a deal with the man behind the monster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dance with the Devil

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate ending to Star Trek Into Darkness, that explores the after effects of using Khan’s blood to heal Kirk and how the Captain tried to remake his possible failure into a success, like he has a tendency to do.

The cell was eerily similar to the brig on the Enterprise, the only difference that instead of the unbreakable plastic-like substance that was on the starship, here it was an actual force field, the low humming of it almost immediately making Kirk’s teeth hurt. Khan stood with his back to the door but as he heard the door open he turned to face the forcefield and face Jim.

 

He looked the same as he did on the Enterprise. Standing tall and proud, his head held high, his hair slicked back and pale eyes looking down on Kirk with something that looked suspiciously like amusement and a corner of his lips twitched up for a briefest moment. His arms were held loosely by his side and he looked as relaxed and in control as he ever did, even when Jim was whaling on him on Kronos. Calm, cool, unaffected except for the briefest flashes of smugness. It was incredible, how a man locked up in a tiny box without windows or door could look so imposing, so damn powerful still.

 

“You don’t look surprised to see me.” Jim decided to open the first salvo.

 

Khan made a show of slowly dragging his eyes up and down Jim’s body, his startlingly pale eyes focused singularly on the blond.

 

“You don’t look too good Captain, something wrong?” The question was asked with false innocence.

 

He didn’t even try to look innocent. His face didn’t really change, still cold and distance but something in Khan’s body language told Kirk he was amused, pleased by what he saw.

 

“So you knew. I wondered if it was an unexpected side effect to what was really an experimental procedure, or if it was something you purposefully built in as a precaution.”

 

Something flashed through the augmented human’s eyes, something like surprise. Like he didn’t expect Kirk to catch up so quickly.

 

“You took my blood by force for your own purposes, how should I know what you did with it? What makes you think had anything to do with your condition?” One of his dark brows rose but Kirk still got the odd impression that the man was playing with him rather than denying anything seriously. That insight into Khan’s moods was surprising because when he’d talked with the man before he’d been as expressive as a rock.

 

“Gut feeling.” Answered Jim because in the end it all boiled down to his instinct and that instinct told him that Khan was the only one that knew the mystery of his condition, that Khan was the only one who could save him.

 

The augmented human’s lips twitched into a scornful smile for a moment.

 

“You have very intelligent gut then.”

 

Jim came closer to the forcefield, wanting to look the man in the eye, wanting for the superhuman to see him clearly too.

 

“You knew we were experimenting with your blood. You expected that sooner or later we would inject it into somebody. This was your safety measure, one more plan hidden in plain sight. To make sure we would need you. You already knew you wouldn’t be killed. You are too valuable for that. And once the side effects started, you expected us to come to you for answers. One thing I can’t figure out though is the child. The girl you healed in London is still healthy, no side effects whatsoever. I checked. She was injected a lot earlier than I, if she doesn’t show any changes now, she probably won’t show them at all.”

 

Khan made a short, sharp exhale through his nose that seemed suspiciously close to a snort.

 

“I am aware of where every drop of my blood ended up. In Marcus’ care I made sure that whoever got the dubious pleasure ended up dying in the most horrifying way possible. In case of the girl I made a promise and I tend to keep those. That non-sentient thing I let live just to arouse your good doctor’s interest. It seems like my gamble paid off rather well, don’t you think?” This time his mouth was twisted into a cruel, gloating smirk. The man had a strange ability to go from looking devastatingly handsome one minute to completely ugly the next.

 

“Intent then.” It made a lot of sense, more than his earlier theory of mutation and accidents.

 

“Yes.” Khan answered with relish, because even if he was the one locked up he still had power.

 

“If it’s intent that’s causing this... condition, it’s intent that can fix it, right?”

 

“Oh, but of course.” Something in Khan’s eyes promised Kirk that he would bleed him dry for the help.

 

“Judging by how confident you are and how pleased, it wouldn’t be resolved in a simple, easy way.” Jim sighed. He should have expected this, really. After all why bother snaring him into this trap only to let him go easily? No Khan would like to exploit this weakness over and over again, bleeding Kirk slowly dry of all usefulness.

 

Sometimes the only way to win a game is to deny it, and that was what Jim was going to do.

 

“Can you tell me what I need to stop feeling this way?”

 

The other man tilted his head back, his pale skin and pale eyes giving him an inhuman look in the harsh, artificial lighting.

 

“My good will, prolonged physical contact while I am conscious and in an accepting state of mind. Any kind of stress I experience, be it physical or mental, you will suffer doubly.”

 

A modified blood bond then. It seemed than unlike ordinary humans who were psi-null, Khan developed some mental ability. Kirk would have to talk with Spock about it later.

 

“And how long would the treatment have to last to be complete?” Jim was already afraid of the answer.

 

The smile on Khan’s face was slow and wicked, showing unexpected dimples. It looked terrifying in tandem with his utterly cold, pale eyes.

 

“Three years. At the minimum.”

 

Jim closed his eyes. Just as he expected, Khan got him into a trap that left him very few options, none of them really appealing. Basically he could either become Khan’s pawn or commit suicide right now, before the changes he was undergoing would turn him into a hidden bomb ready to go off any minute.

 

One chance, one chance only to save himself and maybe even some other people along the way.

 

He squared his shoulders and looked Khan in the eye.

 

“Your crew.” He started and had to immediately stop. The superhuman’s expression didn’t really change but the sudden cold rage emanating from him was enough to make Jim take a step back. He swallowed and started again. “Your crew is alive, you know that. Spock had them removed from the torpedoes before letting them be beamed into your ship.”

 

Khan’s expression didn’t really change. There was still a faint smile on his lips, his body was relaxed but his eyes. His eyes were cold as ice, staring into Jim with heartstopping intensity, promising pain and despair, spearing him with undiluted, unstoppable hatred.

 

“They were scattered all over the galaxy as a precaution.” This was it, this was the make or break moment. “I want you to promise me something,” Kirk made his voice as powerful, as serious as possible and plunged into the harebrained idea that he concocted out of sheer desperation “swear to me now that you will abandon all notion of revenge and warmongering” The other man’s eyebrows were slowly lowering, his remarkable intellect catching on that something was off “and I swear upon my honor, my life and the life of my crew that I will find every single member of your crew, wake them up, hide them amongst my crew and then find them a safe place to live.”

 

Khan Noonien Sighn looked, maybe for the first time, utterly shocked, taken completely aback. James Tiberius Kirk did to him what he did to many other people in his life, he came at him completely from the left field and knocked him out with a seemingly harebrained idea.

 

Instead of threatening to kill his crew, his family he swore to save them.

 

“You went off script here Captain.” It was a visible struggle for khan to keep his voice cold and unaffected. “Where are the demands for my obedience, my knowledge, my genetics?”

 

“I’m serious. You swear to me you will not try to conquer or destroy anything and I swear I will find every single person belonging to you. It’s a good deal. Alone you might never escape not to mention never find your people.”

 

“And if I refuse? If I decide to take my chances with this prison and leave you to rot?” The low baritone was almost a purr, the rage still keeping hold of the man.

 

Jim unbuttoned his jacket and pulled the undershirt up, showing Khan the small, experimental explosive device glued to his skin. Spock would be livid if he knew Jim stole his newest baby but he really didn’t have a choice.

 

“This thing is a thermo explosive device. While the forcefield keeps physical objects away from you it won’t stop the heat. Once I detonate the device, it will generate a temperature close to what is on the surface of the sun, for a full twenty seconds. We are fifteen stories underground, nothing above us, the guards are also already on the surface. Everything in here would be liquefied and evaporated in two, maybe three seconds.” Kirk looked Khan in the eyes, let him see his own desperation, his own fear and determination. “I will kill you and myself, to make sure none of us poses a threat to the people I care about.” He was serious, so damn serious about it. “Look me in the eyes Khan and tell me that I’m bluffing. Tell me if I will hesitate.”

 

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, Khan’s cold eyes dissecting him, judging him.

 

“You are serious.” The superhuman’s voice was no longer unaffected.

 

“Deadly serious.” Jim confirmed. “I am also serious about your crew. I’ve already made a new will. Should I be killed during my search for your people through no fault of your own, I’ve asked my friends, my family, to continue this search, to fulfill my part of this promise.”

 

Khan didn’t move a muscle.

 

“And would they really carry your will out?”

 

Jim thought about Spock, about Bones and Scotty, about honor and friendship, about a family that you choose.

 

“Yes.” Just that because he was sure, down to his very bones, that if he asked this of them they would do it in his memory.

 

Khan exhaled harshly and moved suddenly, walking away from the forcefield, turning his back on Kirk for a moment. Uncharacteristically Jim saw him run his hand over his hair in a clear sign of agitation.

 

Finally.

 

Finally he was talking to the man behind the rage, the man behind the hatred and pain.

 

“I’m guessing this is a time limited offer?” Khan asked without turning to look at Jim.

 

“Very.” Jim confirmed. “This thing actually has a timer set.”

 

“And you?” This time Khan turned around and stalked back towards Kirk, his movements oddly agitated for someone usually so controlled. It seemed like Jim was actually getting somewhere here. “Don’t you worry about what I would do to you? About the changes that have already happened in your body?”

 

Kirk shrugged as if it was nothing, as if he hadn’t feel sick with dread for weeks thinking what kind of monster he was changing into, as if he hadn’t drugged himself within an inch of his life to keep the rage and the paranoia at bay for just one more day, one more meeting, one more hour of clear thought.

 

“I figured we could work on it while we searched for your crew. After all you need me functional and healthy if you want my help. If my crew had seen me the way I’ve been recently... they would know something was wrong and they would act. That bunch might follow orders but never blindly.”

 

Khan laughed then, threw his head back and laughed loud and long, the tendons in his neck jumping wildly, drawing attention to his powerful build.

 

The sound was horrifying in how broken it was.

 

“You have your deal then Captain because I seem to be beaten at my own game today.” There was something indescribable in the way Khan looked at him as he said those words, his eyes glowing with something Kirk didn’t know how to name.

 

“Do you swear?” He pushed, knowing that underneath the savage terrorist, the man had his own kind of honor, his own code and if he seriously promised he would keep his word.

 

“I swear on the lives of my family that we will abandon our previous goals and forfeit any revenge on the Federation and Starfleet.” The words were said in a mocking tone, Khan’s face still full of things Kirk couldn’t name, but somehow Jim felt it was honest, it was serious.

 

This was it.

 

He exhaled so hard his shoulders sagged with relief.

 

“Thank you.” Jim said quietly.

 

It was not going to be easy. He’d have to convince his officers to live with this agreement too or at least to keep quiet about it. He would have to be prepared to take responsibility for not only Khan, but also seventy two other enhanced humans. To hide them among his crew. To lie and cheat for years to come. He had to swallow his own anger and pain, his hatred at Admiral Pike’s death, to forge this deal. But ultimately he felt that Pike would approve of this outcome. If his plan succeeded, he would remove a huge threat to the Federation completely and if he was lucky he might even gain this man’s loyalty. He already saw what Khan Noonien Singh was capable in the name of loyalty. Finally, what had happened to the augmented human was not right. The Starfleet wronged him, wronged him very badly and he deserved some kind of restitution for this.

 

Khan murdered innocent people and he should pay for that. The truth was however, that he’d already suffered more than any one person could handle if the recovered data from Admiral Marcus’ secret bases was to be believed and the Starfleet would never sentence him to death. Leaving him bitter and angry in the hands of his enemies only meant he would one day escape again, only next time he would not be that easily caught. He was a brilliant strategist and he would learn from his mistakes. Next time instead of stopping a war that would take millions of lives, he would burn the world down to cinders, leaving only scorched earth in his wake. If he was lucky, Jim could maybe change that future into something less horrifying.

 

He went to the console next to the cell and put in the code to release the force field.

 

Khan’s nostrils flared for a moment and Jim wondered just how advanced were his senses and then the man stepped down from the slightly raised platform of the cell and approached Jim.

 

Once decided on some kind of action he seemed to be back in control, no trace of that shaken, broken man from before.

 

“What now?” the dark haired man prompted.

 

“Now we go up. I have transport waiting for us topside.”

 

Jim turned to the door and entered another code. The door opened into a dark corridor, the small, blue ceiling lights showed them the way to the lift that would take them up to the surface.

 

“Just like that?”

 

“Yeah, just like that.” Confirmed Jim. It wasn’t so simple, not for him. He’d used all the favors he’d been owed among the brass, he had to give out most of his money in bribes to people, had to sign some very disturbing papers and made more than a handful of bitter enemies out there for this small handful of codes. He was going to have to pay and pay and pay for this for a very, very long time.

 

Khan walked beside him and made no secret of the fact that he was studying Kirk quite intensely. It was as if he was seeing Jim for the first time and reevaluating his opinion of the Captain. He wasn’t altogether sure if it was a good or a bad thing, but it wasn’t as if he had a choice in the matter any longer.

 

As they stepped into the lift Jim felt the first shivers that signaled the drugs were wearing off. Damn, that was even faster than before.

 

Fumbling a little he reached into his pocket and withdrew the hypodermic needle. The red haze was coming back rapidly and he could almost feel his thoughts scattering, shattering.

 

He started raising the hypo towards his neck when Khan suddenly moved, catching his wrist in an unbreakable grip.

 

“Wait.” That low, dark voice broke through the buzzing in his ears easily, commandeering all his fractured attention. “I believe this is now part of my duties, right Captain?” there was a mocking tone to his voice, a promise of thousands tiny little ways Khan would drive the fact of superiority in.

 

_Contact and intent._

 

Right.

 

This was going to suck so damn much, he could already tell.

 

With a smirk, the augmented human pushed into his personal space. One hand went to the untucked shirt and slid under, resting heavy and unexpectedly warm on his side, while the other let go of his wrist and migrated to his neck, curling around it almost gently. Jim froze, remembering the sound and smell, but most importantly the sight of Khan crushing Admiral Marcus’ face between his bare hands.

 

Snapping Jim’s neck right now probably wouldn’t take any effort at all. He was ready to jerk back, to drive the hypo into the other man’s neck. He opened his mouth to warn him off but no sound came out.

 

He realized, just then, that the shakes, the red haze and the inability to focus on anything other than anger was gone. He thought clearly for the first time in what felt like months.

 

He looked at the other man stunned. Just a few seconds of contact, skin to skin, achieved what no mood altering medication could. It had calmed the raging monster inside so easily...

 

“I told you.” Khan all but purred, his face tilted towards Jim, his lids half lowered and intent. He started withdrawing his hands very slowly, letting the contact linger. There was something unexpectedly sensual, almost sexual in his whole manner. “Intent matters.”

 

Khan stepped back but continued to watch him for reaction, testing him, testing how and when he would react to what stimuli, Jim realized.

 

Shit.

 

In the end he said nothing, just stared straight ahead until the lift chimed softly and they were deposited into an unremarkable corridor that lead to another ordinary street where his car was parked. The secrecy of this place lay not in super advanced technologies concealing it; it lay in its simplicity. A single cell, deep under the oldest part of town that used to hold the old fabrication factories, before they’d been shifted into space, leaving behind a lot of empty buildings in an unattractive, industrial part of town.

 

When they reached the car Kirk unlocked it and got inside. After a moment Khan joined him. Jim took a deep breath and reached for the communicator he left on the dashboard.

 

It was offline, had been that way for a long time now.

 

As soon as he turned it on it started pinging at him furiously, indicating dozens of messages waiting. Not waiting till it finished flashing the notifications, he entered a number and connected the call.

 

It was picked up immediately.

 

“Captain!” Spock sounded... not like his usual self. “Is everything in order? No one has been able to contact you for five weeks.”

 

“Yes, yes I’m alive and well. Listen” He interrupted his friend, time was of essence. “I need you to do something for me. First I need you to organize a shuttle to the Enterprise. Just you, me and one other person. No one can know about our guest though. You got that?”

 

“Yes.” Thank god for Vulcans. Once he said something was done it was done.

 

“Second. You know the old helipad on the abandoned Ferris Factories land, on the west side of the old industrial district?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You have to meet me there. Come alone and... come as quickly as possible, okay? Time is kind of the essence here.”

 

There was a moment of silence.

 

“You are in danger.” This time it was not a question.

 

Jim winced. This was going to turn ugly.

 

“Yeah... about that. You remember that little thermoexplosive device you were tinkering with on Enterprise before we trashed the ship?”

 

There was silence on the other end of the line. After a moment Jim continued. “You remember or not?”

 

“I assumed it was a rhetorical question. Since I build the device it’s obvious that I do, in fact, remember it.”

 

“Well I’m kind of wearing one now. It’s also armed and on a timer that’s counting down quite rapidly and since I don’t really know how to turn it off I really need you to come here and disarm it for me, okay?” with that forcefully cheerful declaration Jim cut the connection and exhaled.

 

He was so, so dead once Spock caught up to him. So dead.

 

Khan turned to stare at him all during his talk with Spock, his expression growing more incredulous with every word Jim said.

 

“You attached to your body an experimental explosive device, armed it and you don’t even know how to disarm it?” The superhuman asked in a tone of voice Jim was used to hearing when people yelled “you idiot!” at him. Which was a lot, actually, he was very accustomed to this tone.

 

“Well” Kirk turned to look him right in the eye “I couldn’t be sure just how much influence you had over me. If it turned out you could manipulate me through the blood connection, I needed to be sure I couldn’t stop the explosion.”

 

Beside the shock, there was a flash of reluctant respect flashing in those pale eyes in the moments it took Khan to regain control of his facial expression.

 

“You are... not what I expected.”

 

This time it was Jim’s turn to snort inelegantly.

 

“Thank you, but we have other problems right now any way.”

 

Khan lifted his eyebrows in lieu of asking questions. Jim noticed the man tended to do it a lot.

 

“We have to figure out how to make sure Spock doesn’t kill us both when he gets here.” Jim delivered with a smile.

 

If Khan thought back to the vicious fight between him and the Vulcan during his escape on Earth, he gave no indication.

 

“He doesn’t know about me.” The superhuman deducted. “He doesn’t know about this plan of yours at all, does he?”

 

“No. No one knows. Not about the changes, about the brass wrangling I have been doing to get a chance at you, and definitely not about you. I haven’t seen or talked to any of my crew for five weeks now. I had to make sure they had plausible deniability.”

 

Khan watched him in silence for a very long time.

 

“And you are sure they will just roll with your plan without question?”

 

Kirk laughed.

 

“Oh, there will be questions. There will be shouting, definitely some throwing things and probably some hitting but yes. If I ask them to trust me they will. Because they are my crew.”

 

“You can be unexpectedly ruthless, Captain.” Khan said in a considering tone, still watching Kirk carefully.

 

“I know.” acknowledged Kirk easily, he was long past denial at this point. “I just choose not to be.”

 

Khan didn’t respond.

 

 

The end


End file.
